Ut Unum Sint, issued 25 years ago, was the most courageous papal ecumenical proposal since the schism with the Orthodox in 1054 and the Protestant Reformation in 1517.

The centenary of the birth of Pope St. John Paul II on May 18 is not the only anniversary of note connected with him this month. On May 25, the Church marks the 25th anniversary of his landmark encyclical on Church unity entitled Ut Unum Sint, taken from Jesus’ prayer to the Father on Holy Thursday, “May they all be one” (John 17:11, 21).

What does Ascension of the Lord mean? The event is narrated to us by the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:9-11), but also Mark (Mk 16:19) speaks briefly about it at the conclusion of his Gospel, and then Luke (Lk 24:50), who resumes the narration precisely in the Acts, as if to connect the time of Jesus with that of the Church. The two evangelists, after speaking of the Lord’s life, of his death and resurrection, however, limit themselves to a few notes relating to his departure.

Father Federico Lombardi looks ahead to the future that awaits us: the Lord’s time, rediscovered during this emergency, is a source of meaning for the rest of the space of our existence.

With his Message to the Pontifical Mission Societies (Pontificie Opere Missionarie, POM), Pope Francis has warned of various pathologies that risk disfiguring missionary activity, obscuring the action of grace.

The Message of Pope Francis to the Pontifical Mission Societies is a strong text, with concrete indications, that points out the only real source of the Church’s missionary action. He warns against certain pathologies, which he calls by name, which risk distorting the very nature of mission.

May is the month dedicated to Mary. The Congregation of Rites in 1933 recognized the title of "Queen of Palestine", which became particularly dear to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; that act welcomed the desire of the Latin Patriarch Luigi Barlassina who in 1920, that is a hundred years ago, invoked her for the first time with that title, before going on to build a shrine in Deir Rafat in 1927.

In the English-speaking world, for the most part, the weekday festivals of Christianity have all but disappeared.

So Ascension Thursday – which comes forty days after Easter Sunday – usually passes without a murmur outside the ranks of those who are very regular churchgoers.

It is passed over even in those countries where it is a holy day of obligation to attend Mass – such a strange concept to threaten people with being guilty of a sin if they do not go and joyfully thank God for his goodness!

In his letter to the Polish bishops for the centennial of the birth of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI makes the case for ‘the Great’ as a recognition of the late Holy Father’s impact on history.

“St. John Paul the Great.”

The case is now sufficiently made — by Pope Francis and by his predecessor — that those who wish can use that title with confidence. Over time, it will likely be adopted in the Church’s official documents.

Pope John Paul II made history during his lifetime and became one of the giants of the 20th century – both in the history of the Church and of the wider world. In his early years he was a media star and in the subsequent and final years a veritable martyr, when it became clear that he would defend the truth without compromise, yet with love.

The centenary of the birth of St John Paul II, a Pope who opened new pathways while navigating the way indicated by the Second Vatican Council

When Karol Wojtyła was born on May 18, 1920, the 1,000-year-old Polish nation had not even celebrated the second birthday of a new Polish state.

He would grow up to live the most distinctive 20th-century life. To all the solemn commemorative dates in Polish history, he added another: June 2, 1979, the date of his triumphant return to Warsaw for his first Polish pilgrimage. That date marked the beginning of the end of the “short” 20th century.